Neighborhood schools, parks and community centers in northeast Queens’ District 19 are slated to see a host of improvements in the new city budget, according to the district’s representative in City Hall.
On June 14, the New York City Council passed a $89.2 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2019. Councilman Paul Vallone, who represents neighborhoods including Bayside, Whitestone and College Point, announced that over $8.2 million has been secured for the district’s schools and nearly $6 million for local parks.
Every school within the district will receive at least $50,000 to support operations, according to Vallone’s office, and over $1 million has been allocated for security camera systems at P.S. 184, P.S. 209 and World Journalism High School. A total of $1 million will go toward renovations at Bowne Park, $595,000 to MacNeil Park, and nearly $400,000 to acquire a parcel of land in Udalls Cove.
The creation of “a brand-new community sports complex in Bay Terrace” is also in the works, according to the councilman.
“By partnering with the Samuel Field Y, the borough president and our speaker, Samuel Field Y will be able to permanently enclose the existing tennis bubble in Bay Terrace as they expand into a full-service community center,” he said. “I look forward to announcing further details about this project shortly.”
Additionally, over $1 million was allocated to support nonprofits in the district, including the New York Junior Tennis League, Bayside Village Business Improvement District and Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Community Center.
In the budget, each council member was allocated an additional $80,000 to directly fund organizations that provide senior services within their districts. Vallone will use this allocation to refund the free senior transportation program coordinated in conjunction with Selfhelp Community Services.
“Each year we have proudly reached new records and milestones for northeast Queens,” Vallone said. “Standing with our speaker and borough president, we have once again invested in the future of our children, schools, parks and libraries. You can’t hide what you’re passionate about and defending our quality of life and safety while making sure our children, families, teachers and principals have every resource they need, have always been my top priorities.”
